With Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution finally in players’ hands, the half‑genie hero is enjoying a well‑earned spotlight once again. Few indie characters have shown such staying power: since her Game Boy Color debut in 2002, Shantae has danced across handhelds, consoles, and digital storefronts, building a devoted fanbase along the way. The series has grown from cult favourite to cornerstone of the indie platforming scene, balancing playful humour with inventive mechanics and heartfelt storytelling. To reflect on that journey — and to look ahead at what might come next — Cubed3 sat down with WayForward’s Creative Director, Matt Bozon, for an in‑depth conversation about Shantae’s enduring appeal, her latest adventure, and the creative process behind the magic.
Adam Riley, Cubed3 Director: Risky Revolution was originally developed for the Game Boy Advance between 2002 and 2004, but shelved for nearly two decades. What finally convinced you to dust off the project and see it through to completion?
Matt Bozon, Shantae series Director & WayForward Creative Director: This is something we’d always wanted to do, but I honestly never thought we’d have the opportunity. A couple of years ago I was talking with Erin (my wife and Shantae series creator) about hypothetical dream projects. My pie-in-the-sky project was to go back in time and finish the cancelled Shantae Advance game on Game Boy Advance. Around the same time we were having that conversation, Shantae Advance programmer Michael Stragey was tidying up and came across the old source code. He reached out to reminisce, since we hadn’t worked together for the better part of two decades, and we talked about how cool it would be to finish the game, someday. As it turns out, Erin and I met with Josh Fairhurst at Limited Run Games a couple of days later, and brought up the topic. Encouraged, we formally pitched the idea of completing the lost Shantae game to LRG and WayForward. When everyone showed interest, Michael decided to return to Shantae GBA development full time, and the original team was re-formed 20 years later!
Adam Riley: How much of the finished game is drawn directly from the early 2000s build, and where did you decide to make changes or enhancements during its modern completion?
Matt Bozon: When we shut down around 2004, the game was roughly 50% complete. So, it was a matter of filling in the missing half, and tuning the existing gameplay. Our approach was to leave the 2004 decisions largely alone for the sake of preservation. Early on, we discovered that making any significant changes wouldn’t deliver on the promise of finishing the lost sequel; it would run the risk of just becoming a new game in a retro style. So, older portions of the game were treated as foundational, and left as-is for the most part.
Adam Riley: You chose to finish the game using the same development tools and constraints from its original era. How did that decision shape the final product, and did it present any unexpected challenges?
Matt Bozon: When work began in 2000 and ended in 2004, the product was a true Nintendo third-party GBA game. We didn’t want to make a retro GBA “homage,” but to actually finish the game as intended. Working on GBA in 2023-2024 was fairly difficult, because all of our tools were custom built 20 years ago. Some worked in DOS, others in early versions of Windows. Some of the challenge was just remembering how the tools even worked! Only around a dozen people ever used these tools in the past, so we had to rely on memory and a bit of excavating our old documents.
Adam Riley: Without giving away major plot points, how does Risky Revolution expand Shantae’s world and relationships compared with the 2002 original and later entries in the series?
Matt Bozon: It was a great opportunity to fill in some character groups that are often referred to in the previous Shantae games, but have never been shown on-screen before. It wasn’t too hard to fit in the new story elements, since for me (as the writer), I already had worked on this game 20 years ago when writing Risky’s Revenge, which was the second game in the series to see release. Now, Risky’s Revenge is canonically the third game in the series, but for me, that was always the case. Risky Revolution was a great chance to catch fans up on that missing piece of the story.
Adam Riley: Over more than two decades and across multiple platforms, Shantae has kept a unique tone and style. What creative principles have helped you preserve that identity?
Matt Bozon: One of the big ones is that Shantae has never been defined by industry trends. Erin and I were pitching the original Shantae game in 1994-1995, when the world was shifting away from mascot platformers in favour of new experiences such as Doom (still one of my favourites!), and low-poly 3D platformers. While we really enjoyed these new games, we decided to lean heavily into our art style with bold, brightly coloured character designs, over-the-top animation, 16-bit era gameplay, unique sense of humour — and then made the Shantae character the embodiment of those ideas. Thankfully, gamers never moved completely away from the kinds of games we wanted to make back then, and still get to develop today! If anything, we’re experiencing a bit of a 2D renaissance these days, which is amazing!
Adam Riley: The Shantae fanbase is famously dedicated. Can you share an example of how fan enthusiasm or feedback has directly influenced a design choice in any of the games?
Matt Bozon: After the cancellation of Shantae Advance in 2004, Shantae went away for several years, and didn’t come back until Risky’s Revenge in 2010. We kept trying to get something going internally, but it was actually letters from fans that convinced WayForward management that it was time to try again with a third Shantae game. The same thing happened in 2013 with the Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Kickstarter, which was a game I had no previous plans to develop. I was actually knee deep in Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse for Nintendo 3DS when we launched the Kickstarter campaign. Fans funded the game, and even contributed ideas to bring Shantae: Half-Genie Hero to life. So, the fans have been at the core of Shantae’s success and were there to show support during her ups and downs.
Adam Riley: The series has moved between more linear platforming and expansive Metroidvania-style exploration. How do you decide where each new title should sit on that spectrum?
Matt Bozon: I tend to wait for a spark of inspiration, and then chase it. But at the start of each game I also look closely at WayForward as a development studio. It’s a place that’s always always improving and adapting as the game industry changes. Sometimes there’s enthusiasm for a particular process, a breakthrough in some area of expertise, or a need to improve a certain skill set. Any of these things can inspire goals for the next game. I also listen to fan feedback, and read everything I can to get a sense of what the current audience is excited about, and try to think of ways to get new fans excited.
Adam Riley: Now that Risky Revolution has been completed after so many years, are there other unreleased or abandoned Shantae concepts you’d consider revisiting?
Matt Bozon: There are dozens of Shantae game concepts that would be worth returning to, I think. But none of them went into full production the way that Shantae Advance was. There were a few N64, GameCube, and PS1 concepts that might be fun to return to someday.
Adam Riley: The series has appeared on handhelds, home consoles, and PC. How does platform choice influence your design approach for future Shantae titles?
Matt Bozon: It’s a major factor for sure. For example, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is very much a Nintendo 3DS game at its core. Every decision in that game was designed around the hardware. It’s the same for Risky’s Revenge being born on Nintendo DSiWare. Every choice, from the character sprites to the world design, even the game’s scope and storylines stems from the limitations and opportunities created by the hardware.
Adam Riley: If budget, technology, and licensing were no obstacle, what’s the ultimate Shantae game you’d love to create before you hang up the magic lamp? (asking from a viewpoint of how SteamWorld has crossed numerous genres, for example)
Matt Bozon: There are a lot of requests from fans to see a remake or remaster of the first Shantae game, and I also see a lot of requests for a big (probably expensive) 3D Zelda-esque Shantae game. Both of those sound like a lot of fun! But, I don’t think I’d be satisfied stopping there, since there’s always another story to tell, and gaming technology keeps on evolving. I’d also love to try making a feature-film-quality 2D Shantae game, using modern tech.
Adam Riley: Given Shantae’s long history on Nintendo platforms, if you had the opportunity to collaborate directly with Nintendo on a future project — whether within the Shantae universe, on a Nintendo IP, or something entirely new — what would your dream collaboration look like, and why?
Matt Bozon: I love Metroid and Zelda, so those seem like the easy answer. But from a branding perspective, Shantae and Kid Icarus might have more in common in terms of their universes and gameplay styles. I also could see a Shantae Rhythm Heaven making a lot of sense. Or if Nintendo ever adds indie mascots into Mario Kart or another Smash Bros. game, sign us up!
